What next for Twilight's Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner?

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner became household names thanks to their roles in Stephenie Meyers's hugely successful Twilight series. From Friday, though, the trio will feel a weight lifted from their shoulders as Breaking Dawn - Part 2 begins its cinema rollout.

Getting out of a time-consuming franchise can be make-or-break for a young actor's career - a glance across to Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, who led the cast of horror hit The Woman in Black, only demonstrates how important it is to capitalise on having a post-franchise high profile.

Digital Spy takes a look at the future prospects for Twilight megastars Pattinson, Stewart and Lautner.

Robert Pattinson is by far the busiest post-Twilight star, with no fewer than five movies on his upcoming slate. A reunion with Cosmopolis director David Cronenberg is in the offing with Maps to the Stars, a project about Hollywood's relationship to Western culture. Expect Maps, which counts Viggo Mortensen and Rachel Weisz among its cast, to be as talky and philosophical as the divisive Cosmopolis.

If that isn't quite to your taste, then how about R-Patz as a gun-toting action hero? In The Rover, a future Western from Animal Kingdom's David Michôd, he'll team up with Guy Pearce to hunt down a gang of criminals in the Australian desert. This film, along with Mission: Blacklist, about the plot to catch Saddam Hussein, seems a world away from Edward Cullen.

Finally, there's a crime romance on the horizon with Carey Mulligan and Shadow Dancer director James Marsh called Hold On To Me. Based on a true story, the film will see Pattinson and Mulligan get caught up in a botched kidnapping of a millionaire.

While one franchise is ending, another one will be sparking into life for Kristen Stewart. Snow White and the Huntsman produced a not-too-shabby $400 million (£252 million) box office haul, and plans are already afoot to get a sequel before cameras soon (director Rupert Sanders returning might be a long-shot). K-Stew recently revealed that she will be back for the follow-up, but beyond that little is known about the fantasy flick.

In a similar vein to Robert Pattinson's Hold on to Me, Focus will cast Stewart opposite Ben Affleck as she partners up with his professional conman. Expect this to be a very watchable romantic thriller thanks to the involvement of Crazy Stupid Love team Glenn Ficarra and John Requa.

The most tantalising of all Stewart's forthcoming films is Lie Down in Darkness, which is based on William Styron's acclaimed novel from 1951. K-Stew will play Peyton Loftiss, a suicidal girl who experiences an abusive relationship with her father in Virginia.

Jennifer Lawrence has previously expressed a desire to star in a movie adaptation, but we reckon Stewart is rock-solid casting. "I want to play Peyton more than anything I can possibly taste or touch in my life. I want to play her so bad," Stewart said in an Elle interview in May. "She's in love with [her father]. I mean, I think she's in love with him. It's not his fault. They're the most f**ked-up family!"

Jacob Black star Taylor Lautner swiftly signed up for high profile roles in the wake of his Twilight success - Stretch Armstrong being the biggest/strangest role that came and went - and after a trial run in the critically-panned Abduction, it looks like he's still keen to cement himself as a credible action hero.

In Tracers, he'll play a New York bike messenger who takes up parkour after meeting a beautiful stranger. If that offers up a chance for Lautner to flex his action muscles, then expect him to deliver some laughs in Grown Ups 2. The 20-year-old will reportedly go "toe-to-toe" with Adam Sandler as 'Frat Boy Andy' in the comedy sequel.